orangutan

noun

orang·​u·​tan ə-ˈraŋ-ə-ˌtaŋ 

-ˈraŋ-gə-,

-ˌtan 

: any of several largely herbivorous arboreal anthropoid apes (Pongo pygmaeus, P. abelii, and P. tapanuliensis) of Borneo and Sumatra that are about ²/₃ as large as the gorilla and have brown skin, long sparse reddish-brown hair, and very long arms

Illustration of orangutan

Examples of orangutan in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Epic story of perseverance and hope follows a 16-year-old boy who is shipwrecked in the middle of the Pacific Ocean and survives on a lifeboat with four companions: a hyena, a zebra, an orangutan and a Royal Bengal tiger. —Luann Gibbs, The Enquirer, 2 July 2025

An orangutan at the Little Rock Zoo died earlier this week of encephalitis, the zoo said in a news release. —Harley Walls, Arkansas Online, 28 June 2025

Sure there might be a mischievous mouse-deer stealing fruit from an orangutan, but once the mystery is solved, the two animals comprise on how to share—no harm or conflict intended. —Elisabeth Sherman, Parents, 20 May 2025

Laumer published a study last year showing an orangutan in Indonesia repeatedly chewing leaves and applying the material to a wound on its face to heal a wound received in a fight. —Evan Bush, NBC news, 14 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

Bazaar Malay (Malay-based pidgin), from Malay orang man + hutan forest

First Known Use

1691, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

orangutan

noun

orang·​utan

ə-ˈraŋ-ə-ˌtaŋ,

-ˌtan

: a large anthropoid ape of Borneo and Sumatra that is about ⅔ as large as a gorilla, eats mostly plants, lives in trees, and has very long arms, long thin reddish brown hair, and a nearly hairless face